The police force that searched Sir Cliff Richard's house has not returned his iPhone or a note the late Princess Diana gave to him, the singer has claimed.

The items, along with postcards from his mother and a signed book from Billy Graham, were removed by South Yorkshire Police (SYP) in a search of his Berkshire home in 2014.

The entertainer was publicly named as a suspect in a sex abuse investigation during a probe into historical allegations.

The case against him was dropped this month by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Talking to Northern Ireland-born Gloria Hunniford in an interview for ITV's Loose Women, Sir Cliff spoke of the trauma he has endured over the last 22 months.

The BBC has apologised for causing the 75-year-old distress with its coverage, which saw footage of the raid broadcast live on television.

SYP has also apologised to the singer over its handling of the investigation.

But Sir Cliff berated SYP, saying they had failed to "accept a call" from five policemen who are now retired but who had volunteered to make statements in his defence.

He added: "They weren't even answered - they (the police) wouldn't accept the call. Fortunately for me, they had read who my lawyers were.

"They phoned the lawyers and said: 'We would like to make statements', and they had written statements just in case I had to go to court, saying 'In our humble opinion, this could never have happened - we were with him the whole time'. The police weren't interested."

SYP has been contacted for comment on the issue but has yet to respond.

In an earlier interview, the singer said he was considering taking legal action for the "gross intrusion" into his privacy.

He also said he felt like "collateral damage" resulting from the wave of police investigations into high-profile allegations sparked by the Jimmy Savile scandal.

Those under investigation for sexual crimes should not be named unless charges are brought, he added.